Life in this century

[LesL269823]

I read a short article recently that stated the younger generation might never know what "High Beams" are in the not too distant future due to so many newer cars having automatic adaptive headlights. While I did have a short experience driving a car with the feature (and I really liked it) I got to thinking about other phrases that I wish would be forgotten in the coming generations.

While things like pre-existing medical conditions came to mind other things I thought about also phrases that have new meanings. The term "Foreign Actors" came to mind. Seldom does this refer to Hollywood anymore. Time was, maybe the biggest Buttinsky in our lives was our well meaning in-laws. With social media now meddling in more lives than any in-law ever could, do we really recognize it when it is happening and the wide ranging intentions behind it? 

I guess the phrase I wish more than any other could be lost from our lives and the lives of our children is "Mutually Assured Destruction". Since inception, I believe this concept truly kept us safe. But as a future strategy, with so many more players at the table, some of which have ideologies of other than peaceful co-existence, is it time for a new plan?

[EricC28201]

Universal Healthcare:

In a self-respecting culture that values all it's members high quality Healthcare will be so prevalent, so ubiquitous, so available that it will just be Healthcare.  Hopefully future generations will receive healthcare in a world where it's biggest challenge is warding off the complacency that comes from being so darned good.

[EricC28201]

Plausible Deniability:
Disclaimer: Like the Political Science post this is not a political comment. Plausible Deniability is so deeply entrenched in the culture that it is a significant contributing factor in the prevalence and persistence of Age Discrimination...All forms of Discrimination and myriad other manufactured hardships and problems generally referred to as humanity's seeming limitless capacity for inhumane treatment of itself.
Okay...This one rivals Political Science for most oxymoronic. It basically says, "You have to trust us, so we're going to tell you from the start that we are going to engage in misconduct and lie about it so we don't go to jail or lose our shirts to Civil Litigation,". In fact, it is the fraudsters' brazen statement of power and an open admission that misconduct and dishonesty are an undocumented, yet integral part of an organization's culture. Additionally, there is the unspoken rationalization that it is essential for survival.
This is another one that can only exist in a meaningful way so it can be eradicated for the good of humanity and relegated to the history books (Oh my what our great [et. al.] grand kids must be gonna think of us!).
I suppose I should state, for the record, at this point that I am not some bitter old crank spouting vitriol. But a good-natured soul attempting to offer positive socio/cultural commentary about topics that are sometimes so absurdly toxic that there's no way to describe them accurately without revealing their inherent bitter irony. After-all, only the general boundaries of fate seem to be hard and fast. The details seem to be written by our own choices and actions.
This could turn out to be the point in history when our own technology became the element of The Natural Selection Process that selected against humanity and in favor of whatever came next. Or the point when humanity recognized and accepted a significant evolutionary rather than revolutionary change in direction was needed; and started it.

...Included a link to a well written description and a couple legal definitions.
A reasonably detailed article:
https://legaldictionary.net/plausible-deniability/ 

Plausible deniability refers to circumstances where a denial of responsibility or knowledge of wrongdoing can not be proved as true or untrue due to a lack of evidence proving the allegation. This term is often used in reference to situations where high ranking officials deny responsibility for or knowledge of wrongdoing by lower ranking officials. In those situations officials can "plausibly deny" an allegation even though it may be true.
It also refers to any act that leaves little or no evidence of wrongdoing or abuse.

First, let’s define the phrase. “Plausible deniability” usually involves high ranking members of a government or corporation not knowing about the activities of lower ranking members. Thus, if a lower ranking member commits a crime, the higher ranking member will claim “plausible deniability.” Put it another way, they’re saying they had no knowledge of the goings-on of the lower ranking member. Now, whether or not they actually know is one thing. Yet, proving what the higher ranking person knows is another.
Consequently, in day-to-day situations, “plausible deniability” involves demonstrating that little to no evidence exists to prove the defendant’s guilt. In other words, like we said above, it’s not about proving innocence. But it’s about questioning guilt. If not enough evidence exists to prove guilt, then innocence must be presumed.

[EricC28201]

Food Desert:
According to the CDC Food Deserts are, “areas that lack access to affordable fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat milk, and other foods that make up the full range of a healthy diet.”. Areas where people may turn to cheaper but unhealthier Processed Food options that provide calories but not much nutritional value. To put this phrase in proper context it should be noted that it came about to describe a phenomenon that happens in cultures that, overall, waste nearly half of the food they produce or procure from the world food market. In other words Food Deserts are areas where food is wasted before it is consumed...if it is consumed.
Some critics have split semantic hairs to assert that the phrase should no longer be used, but like M.A.D. the only meaningful reason for this phrase to exist is to identify a threat to people's well-being that needs to be eradicated so the phrase can be relegated to, and only continue to exist in, history books.

[LesL269823]

Agree in that I would wish all descriptors of issues with food insecurity would become obsolete. Agree, that with the quantity of food wasted could help alleviate some of the inadequacies of food availability. 

With the challenges to agriculture within our borders necessitating changes to continue, I fear that processed foods will be considered the solution. 

[EricC28201]

This has the makings of a Long Running Topic.  For Example:

Political Science - Could there possibly be a more oxymoronic term or phrase in the english language?...All it really does is provide a baffling, yet legitimate enough sounding, smoke screen for the folks who came up with "Mutually Assured Destruction".

Disclaimer: Just because the phrase contains the word 'Political', does not mean this is a political statement.  It is simply a statement about terminology that future generations might be better off without.

[EricC28201]

100% thumbs up on M.A.D.

...While I was reading, I also couldn't help thinking of some of those popular terms that are so poorly defined that they can mean almost anything the person using them would like.  Such As:

Work Smarter Not Harder & Emotional Intelligence.

Sure they sound great, but what do they really (in an empirically quantifiable way) mean?...I wonder if they could be empirically quantified as Psychobabble?